I
don’t think the plot of Atomic Blonde makes a whole lot of sense. It takes
place in 1989, in Berlin, right before the wall came down, and centers on a
stolen list of secret agents. The person who stole the list is a Stasi officer,
stationed on the Communist side, and all sides want the list – the Brits, the
Russians, the Americans and even the French – because it would expose all the
secret agents working in Berlin. But who did the Stasi officer steal the list
from? If he stole it from the Russians, then they’d want it because it would
expose their guys – but they seem to want it, because having it would expose
the British and American officers. But the Brits and Americans want it, because
it would expose a double agent working for them and the Russians. Everyone
wants to the list because they want the information on it – which raises the
question, where the hell did this list come from? This bothered me – a little –
the whole movie, and perhaps there is a simple explanation to this, an once
it’s explained to me, I’ll feel like an idiot for not realizing it in the first
place. It also didn’t for a second hinder my enjoyment of Atomic Blonde which
is a spy thriller and action film from director David Leitch – the uncredited
co-director of the original John Wick, which is obvious early on. But more
importantly, it’s because of star Charlize Theron, who you cannot take your
eyes off of. The list is a McGuffin, and the plot is pretty much nonsensical –
and yet, there is never a moment where you doubt that she knows exactly what
she’s doing.

Theron’s
Lorraine Broughton is a British agent who shows up in Berlin when another agent
– who she had a personal relationship with – is murdered, and has the list
stolen from him by a Russian agent – who then goes rogue. Her job is to team up
with the Brits senior man there – David Percival (James McAvoy) – who himself
has gone kind of rogue – and find the list. She’s compromised the moment she
sets foot in Berlin, but stays anyway. Eventually, she’ll not only have to get
the list, but also have to try and smuggle the man who stole it in the first
place (Eddie Marsan) across the border. And because she looks like Charlize
Theron, everyone she meets – man and woman – tries to seduce her.

It
is in the action sequences where Atomic Blonde is both at its best, and when it’s
closest to John Wick. Those movies have the advantage of simplicity on their
side – in the first man, thugs kill a retired hitman’s dog, so he goes on a
killing spree, the sequel has him forced back into life, and going on another
killing spree. There you go, that’s the entire plot of two John Wick movies. I
could spend the rest of the day trying to explain what happens in Atomic
Blonde, and still not be able to do it. But it kind of doesn’t matter – the
action sequences have the same visceral thrill to them that John Wick’s do –
the same bloody mess. I do think that Leitch relies too much on shaky camera
work at times, but mainly, he knows when to hold the shot – there is a hallway
fight sequence, where Theron protects her man, and kicks a lot of ass, all done
in seemingly one shot, that is already legendary for the type of scene it is.
All of the action sequences are similarly well handled and exciting.

And
when Theron isn’t kicking ass, she’s still the center of nearly every scene.
She plays Lorraine as a cold as ice killer – allowing herself only a few,
mostly private moments of either pleasure or pain – and she does it better than
I’ve seen her do it before (she wasn’t really that good in the latest Fast
& Furious movie as the villain – and she has mixed results in other
blockbusters playing cold roles). Here, she gets on the movies wavelength from
the start, and her performance is a riot. The rest of the cast gamely tries to
keep up – McAvoy is essentially repeating his role in Filth again, but he’s
fun. Everyone else kind of fades into the background as Theron takes over.

I
don’t think Atomic Blonde is quite the film that either John Wick film is – but
that’s because the plot more than anything, not because of Theron – who I want
to see in this type of movie again, and soon. She’s great – the film is pretty
good – but she’s what makes it worth seeing.

About Me

I am an accountant, living in Brantford, ON - and although I am married and have beautiful daughter, I still find time to watch a lot of movies. This blog is mostly reviews of new movies - with other musing thrown in as well.